Pulse (Collide) (10 page)

Emily whimpered, her body melting against his. Her lungs whipped hard and fast, her body hummed, feeling deliciously split in two as he moved with ruthless control.

Gavin branded her neck with his mouth, his tongue laving up and down hungrily. “Fuck. Tell me again. Tell me how much you love me, Emily.”

Emily clutched his hair and looked over her shoulder at him, her breath coming in quick pants as she stared into his eyes. It was then she sensed his fear that if he blinked, she would disappear into thin air. Guilt spilled over her. With that, she stopped moving against him.

Gavin also stopped, worry filling his face. “Did I hurt you?” He grazed his thumb along her lips. “Jesus, baby, I’m sorry if I did. I would never hurt you, Emily. Never.”

She shook her head, straightened, and turned around. “No, you didn’t hurt me, and I know you never would.” She laced her hands around his neck. Relief crossed his face, and his perfect mouth found hers, his kiss urgent and hungry. Emily pulled back, her voice soft. “Gavin, please stop.”

Eyes steeped in confusion, he stepped back. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Gavin. I’m not,” she whispered and reached for his hand, gently guiding him to the bed. “Lay down for me.”

With a dark brow raised, his gaze drilled into hers as he did what she asked. Propped up on his elbows, he watched Emily crawl toward him.

They both sucked in a ragged breath when she sank down on him. Emily leaned over and brushed her lips against his, soft and gentle. Gavin’s eyes slid shut, and he gripped her waist.

“No,” she breathed, circling her hips slowly, her body pulsing around his. “Look at me, Gavin. I want you to look at me while I make love to you.”

His eyes flew open, and Emily reached for his hands. She drew them up to her breasts. Gavin cupped them, his fingers kneading against each one. Body riveted, Gavin groaned and pushed up inside her. He felt Emily tense and clamp down around him. Her slow friction spiraled, blistering through his muscles.

Sitting straight up, movements calculated, Emily massaged her hands against his as he caressed her breasts. “These are yours, Gavin. Only yours.” Arching her back, Emily slithered one hand down her stomach and rubbed her clit. Eyes locked on Gavin’s, her hips bucked slightly faster, her breathing picking up. “This is yours. No other man will ever touch this.” Her voice trembled as a fiery ache shot, tingling through every nerve. She watched Gavin drag his bottom lip between his teeth, felt his body go rigid. She reached around and grazed her fingernails under his balls.

Pleasure broadsided Gavin. “You feel so good around me.” He sucked in a harsh breath, his hands dropping to her thighs. He gripped them tightly, guiding her body up and down his cock. Her slick, wet pussy was hot, turning him harder than ever. “I fucking love you, Emily. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.” Bucking his hips up, he thrust her down onto him. “Tell me you love me.”

She started riding him faster, harder, her need to get him to understand driving her to the brink of insanity-filled desire. The feel of him inside her drugged her system beyond words, beyond coherent thought. “Goddamn you, Gavin, I love you! I love you so much. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do this to us. Do you understand me? I’m sorry.” With tears slipping down her cheeks, she dug her nails into his shoulders and pulled his body flat against her sweat-dampened chest. He buried his face against her breast, his mouth sucking and swirling her beaded nipple. Her body burned as she gripped his hair. His neck went taut as a bow, his eyes boring into hers. “You’re all I see. All I hear. All I dream about. I came here for you. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere. It’s you, Gavin. Only you.”

She crashed her lips to his, their pounding hearts and short, panting breaths in sync. Gavin curled his hands around her nape, his hands fisted in her hair as tight as hers were in his.

The sound of wet flesh smacking together echoed through the room as their orgasms hit. Their every sense attuned to one another like never before. In each of them, fire danced into a violent explosion of pleasure, and every stolen moment, hurtful word, and accusation fell away, disappearing as their bodies jerked and shuddered together. They were no longer on borrowed time and each of them knew it. Soaked it in. Emily felt Gavin’s strong arms wrap around her waist, his breathing shallow against her chest. As the sensations liquefying them settled, Gavin snagged Emily’s gaze as she looked down at him. Gavin smoothed her damp hair away from her face and guided her lips to his. Deep and passionate, slow and gentle, he kissed her. Warmth centered deep in her womb as she moaned into his mouth.

Lying back, Gavin pulled Emily on top of his chest. Tenderly gliding his hands up and down her spine, he breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time since he’d met her, Gavin felt relaxed. At ease. Emily was finally his.

Other than their sweet breaths starting to calm, the air was filled with the sound of waves crashing in the distance beyond French doors leading to a balcony. Moonlight bathed the bedroom while Emily listened to the steady rhythm of Gavin’s heart beating against her ear. The heart she nearly destroyed. Feeling unworthy of him, she dusted kisses across his chest and looked up at him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t believe I almost ruined us.”

He trailed a finger along her cheek, his blue eyes intense. “I know you are, and I don’t want you saying it again. We’re not ruined. We’re better. Understand?”

Nodding, she laid her head back down on his chest and clenched his shoulders. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”

“Well, I knew I was coming back the moment I left.”

Emily lifted her head, her hooded stare meeting Gavin’s. “Oh, did you, Mr. Blake?”

“Why, of course I did, Miss Cooper,” he said with a grin. “I figured I’d let you sweat it out for a while.” A slow smile spread across his face. “Apparently, I made you moan while you sweated it out.”

With a pseudo pout, she batted his arm playfully. “Wiseass.”

“It’s part of my charm.” He chuckled and skimmed his fingers down her back. Pulling her closer, Gavin fastened his mouth to hers. Emily’s lips went pliant and goose bumps rose over her body. “Get used to it. You’re stuck with this wiseass.”

She nipped at his lip and smiled. “I’ll take you whatever way I can.” After indulging in his kiss a little longer, Emily rested her head against his chest, her body deliciously sore.

A stretch of silence filled the room as Gavin sank into the sensations of Emily tracing his tattoo. Her touch tossed him into heaven, yet his thoughts cast him into hell. Guilt hit him and decided to play a little game. He’d planned on telling her right away about his brief encounter with the woman he’d met a few days before on the beach, but God help him, he couldn’t when he’d arrived at the hotel. Seeing Emily in the hallway with her luggage, ready to leave his life again, sent his intentions flying out the fucking window. Hell, he knew he had every right to do what he did, but that didn’t stop it from weighing heavily on his chest. Gavin cleared his throat and brushed his hands through Emily’s hair. He cupped her face, bringing her gaze to his. “I have to tell you something.”

She blinked, met his stare for a moment, and then laid her head back down on his chest. “How old were you when you got this, and why did you choose to get it on your ribs?” She grazed her fingers along the dragon’s wings.

Head downcast, examining her delicate fingers flowing over the black ink, Gavin stroked the long line of her back. “I got it right out of college, so around twenty-two or twenty-three.” He ran his hand through his hair and released a breath. “I decided to get it there because I wanted it hidden from eyes I didn’t want to see it and traced by beautiful fingers that I did.”

She peered up at him, her smile soft and her touch softer as she skimmed the dragon’s body. “These fingers?”

“Yes,” Gavin whispered. “Those fingers.” He watched Emily smile at his words and lay her head back down against his chest. Hesitation rolled through him for a second, but he knew if he didn’t tell her, it would eat away at him. “I have to talk to you about something.”

“Did it hurt when you got it?” Emily didn’t look up as she continued to trace the art.

Gavin lifted her chin, his brows furrowed. “Emily, I did something I have to tell you about.”

Swallowing, Emily nodded. “I know you slept with those two girls.” She touched his cheek with the back of her hand and stared into his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, edged by thick, dark lashes holding her future. “And I don’t care. You thought I married Dillon. I know you wouldn’t have if you knew otherwise.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips and nuzzled her face in his neck.

Gavin caressed her hair and pulled in a breath. “I didn’t sleep with them.”

“You didn’t?” she asked, shock evident in her voice as she pulled her head back.

“No. You thankfully intercepted that train wreck when you showed up.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “So you won’t have any children running around in Mexico. Thank God.”

Gavin watched her expression ease, and fuck if it didn’t seize his heart in a single second. Bringing her face closer to his, he ran the pad of his thumb across her lips. “No. I won’t have any children running around in Mexico because I used protection with someone you didn’t intercept.” He paused, his eyes searching hers. Emily bit her lip and nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice riddled with guilt.

Emily swept her gaze over his face and found nothing but regret. Guilt of her own tripped through her stomach, knowing she was the reason for it. As she searched her mind for a way to free him from his remorse, to show him it didn’t matter to her, a devious smile crept up the corners of her mouth. Sitting up, she straddled his lap, pinned his hands behind his head, and brushed her lips against his. Staring at him, she spoke against his mouth. “Gavin Blake, I love you so much, it’s literally dangerous to us both. You know that?”

He cocked an incredulous brow. “Dangerous?”

“Very,” she purred, raining kisses along his jaw.

Freeing his hands from her hold, Gavin threaded his fingers through her hair. A grin touched his mouth. “Mmm, I like a naughty Emily. You can be as dangerous as you want to with me.”

Emily’s stomach rolled with heat as Gavin brought her down to his lips. While kissing him, she heard Gavin’s stomach roll with a growl of hunger. She laughed. “Hungry?”

“What?” he asked innocently. He turned on his megawatt smile.

“Okay, I’m not deaf, Blake.” She leaned over and flipped on a lamp. “Either you’ve caught a bug while here in Mexico, or you’re hungry.” After pulling a menu from the nightstand drawer, she handed it to him. “I’m
praying
for the latter.”

Gavin barked out a laugh and then slowly sobered. “What is that?” He slid his thumb over her eyebrow and placed the menu on the bed.

Emily’s stomach plummeted. She felt all kinds of sick as she curled her hand around Gavin’s wrist, pulling it away from the spot where Dillon hit her. Panic set in, but she covered it up with a smile. “Oh, that? It’s nothing. I was at work, I bent over to pick up something from behind the bar, and I slammed my head against the countertop.”

Gavin sat up, snaked one arm behind her back, and lifted the other to her brow again. He studied it for a second. Something in Emily’s tone didn’t sit right with him. He shifted his eyes to hers. “It happened at work, huh?”

“Yes, Gavin,” she said, mustering up all the confidence she had left. “My moment of grace happened at work. Luckily the place was empty, or I would’ve been even more embarrassed.” She plucked the menu from the bed and started looking over it. “So what are you in the mood for? They have everything from burgers to filet mignon.” She swung her legs off him, pulled the sheet around her body, and stood to go to the bathroom. “Just order me the chicken Caesar salad.”

Emily flipped on the light switch and closed the door. Leaning against it, she drew in a breath, hoping she’d successfully pulled off the lie gnawing away at her. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to start off with Gavin. Not even close. Keeping anything from him bit at her conscience. However, visions of Gavin going after Dillon tightened her chest, and Dillon’s threats the night of her rehearsal dinner screamed loud in her ears. With that, she settled the internal battle. She was protecting Gavin and wouldn’t say a word about what’d happened that morning. Emily turned the handle to exit the bathroom. On the other side, she found Gavin with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorjamb. His probing blue eyes made her heart lurch into her throat. Though her nerves skyrocketed, she couldn’t keep her gaze from sweeping over his naked form. The utter masculine perfection of his solid body had her instantly breathing faster, unconsciously biting her lip.

“You startled me.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “But I’ve always known you were a stalker.” She feigned playful and draped her arms around his neck, but his stare was all over her, as if he was waiting for her to tell him the truth. All she wanted to do was ‘fess up, but she wouldn’t. “Speaking of stalker, how did you get a key to the suite?” Emily knew it was a poor attempt at a subject change, but she was grasping at anything to keep Gavin’s attention from Dillon.

“I called Colton from my house and told him to add my name to the reservation.” Gavin leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead. “So, what happened the night you left him?”

Emily swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and clenched the sheet to her chest. She looked at him from beneath her lashes. “Nothing really happened.”

Gavin pulled back, his expression tight with skepticism. “Nothing? He just let you walk out the door and didn’t say a word?”

She grappled for an answer as she crossed the room. Sinking onto the bed, she slid a stare back at him and shrugged. “Yes. I left his townhouse after he fell asleep, stopped by your place, and then went back to my apartment. He came over the morning of the wedding, and we got into an argument. In the middle of it, my sister and her husband showed up, and Michael made him leave. That’s it.”